Chalk it up to angst over the future of growth and development in Boulder, or perhaps to renewed interest in civics in the era of President Donald Trump, but citizens are suddenly rushing to join the city Planning Board.

On Tuesday night, the City Council interviewed the 14 people vying for two open seats on the board. Sixteen applied originally, but two dropped out ahead of this week's council interviews, which also included more than 100 candidates.

Next to the council, the Planning Board is Boulder's most influential citizen body, presiding over development proposals and helping to set land-use and design rules. But the last time there was an opening on the board, only four people applied to fill it.

There are now two five-year terms up for grabs, with board Chair John Gerstle and member Leonard May both having run out their respective terms.

May, a PLAN-Boulder County member and an advocate for limited development, is not seeking another term.

Gerstle, who is seeking a second term, is more of a centrist than May by Boulder's standards, but has said that some in the city are under the "mistaken impression" that more growth will lead to more affordable housing — a statement very much at odds with what groups such as Open Boulder, Better Boulder and the chamber of commerce have pushed of late.

Most have considerable experience working in planning, development, real estate or policy. The lone person who applied as a student from the University of Colorado — a group that accounts for about a quarter of residents but rarely partakes in the local political process — was one of the two who withdrew.

Councilman Aaron Brockett posed a question to the applicants about their approaches to development in Boulder, which he called a "full-time contact sport."

Should it be accelerated to address issues around housing, sustainability and transportation, or slowed so as not to exacerbate existing resource shortages and promote a shift away from the essential character of Boulder as a small city with low-rise buildings and zoning that in most spots calls for low density?

A majority of the 14 appeared to support the former vision.

Among that majority is Selvans, one of the city's most visible activists in the burgeoning "Yes In My Backyard" movement. He's proven to be a deeply controversial figure in his political opponents' circles, and his appointment to the Planning Board would surely upset groups such as Livable Boulder and the Boulder Neighborhood Alliance, which have already spoken out against his candidacy.

Many said their stances have been informed by personal experiences of watching people and institutions they care about be pushed out of the pricey Boulder.

"Within my peer group what I see quite a bit is that people like me save up as much as they can to become homeowners, but if they plan to have children, they leave," Fetsch said.

Kaplan said she has one black friend in Boulder, and that friend is apparently considering moving away.

"If you want to encourage diversity in this community, you have to have spaces that feel welcoming," she said.

Offered Rogin: "Primarily minority-owned small businesses are getting forced out. ... I think it's vitally important to make sure that these business owners can stay in Boulder, that they can live here."

The most resolute representative of the slow-growth viewpoint was Johnston, who joked that the council would add three new voices to the board by appointing him, as he is elderly, a conservative and handicapped.

"We're trying to figure out how to put 10 pounds of potatoes in a 1-pound bag," he said of the city's recent and upcoming planning efforts, which include taller buildings than many want and a perceived aversion to the automobile.

Given that the Planning Board's votes on development proposals are usually final and unquestioned by the council, the two who win seats this time around will play key roles in shaping Boulder's future. Many will be watching closely when the council announces which two it's chosen during its March 21 meeting.

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